TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — China Airlines is acquiring over two dozen Airbus A321neo aircraft and upgrading several A350 jets.
Since 2021, Taiwan's national carrier has been gradually obtaining 25 A321neo narrow-body aircraft, with deliveries expected to be completed by 2026, per CNA. In addition, the airline announced a partnership with Airbus to upgrade the cabins of 15 A350 aircraft and plans to deploy the revamped fleet starting in 2027.
On Monday, CAL signed a contract with Airbus in Hamburg, Germany to upgrade its A350 cabins. The agreement was signed by CAL President Kao Shing-hwang (高星潢) and Airbus Senior Vice President and Head of Global Account Asia-Pacific Chris Drewer.
Previously, CAL announced plans to invest up to NT$13 billion (US$400 million) to commission Airbus to provide integration and technical services for the cabin refurbishment of 15 A350 aircraft.
Kao explained that Airbus will assist CAL with cabin upgrades, including the installation and certification of seats across all classes and cabin facility designs. The upgraded A350 fleet is expected to begin service in 2027, with the 15 aircraft completed by 2028.
The A350 is CAL’s main workhorse for long-haul routes, operating flights to European destinations such as Frankfurt, London, Amsterdam, Rome, Vienna, and Prague, as well as to US cities like Seattle and Los Angeles. The aircraft also serves routes to Australia and New Zealand, including Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, and Auckland, as well as regional destinations like Tokyo, Osaka, Bangkok, Singapore, Ho Chi Minh City, and Jakarta.
Separately, CAL has been introducing the new-generation A321neo narrow-body aircraft from Airbus. Currently, 14 aircraft are in operation, with another 5 expected in 2025, completing the delivery of 25 of the model by 2026.
CAL said that the A321neo is servicing routes in Northeast Asia such as Hiroshima, Fukuoka, Kumamoto, Okinawa, Takamatsu, and Busan. It also services Southeast Asian routes such as Cebu, Chiang Mai, Da Nang, Penang, Phnom Penh, Palau, and cross-strait flights to Hong Kong. These models service more than 300 weekly flights on average.
CAL announced plans to resume two weekly flights from Taipei to Guam starting in late November. Using the A321neo aircraft, it will also increase Taipei-Sapporo flights to twice daily from Dec. 13, 2024, to March 9, 2025.
In addition, an A321neo “Pikachu Jet” featuring Pokemon-themed livery will begin operations on Jan. 1, 2025, flying from Kaohsiung to Japan and South Korea, including Osaka and Seoul. This is meant to meet Kaohsiung’s booming tourism growth and attract international tourists to south Taiwan.
Kao also said CAL is evaluating other Airbus models, such as the wide-body A350-900 and A350-1000, as well as the freighter A350F.